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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With Bob Fraley

Aired June 28, 2003 - 14:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Sports and dollars signs. Here is an interesting juxtaposition. High school basketball player LeBron James signs a $90 million endorsement deal before playing even one professional game. So how is it that a Fresno State track coach for 23 years is working for nothing? Well, Bob Fraley actually gave up his salary so that his track and field program could survive. And he is Fresno, California, now to explain this act of benevolence. So Coach Fraley, why in the world did you do this?
BOB FRALEY, FRESNO STATE UNIVERSITY: Why did I do it?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FRALEY: Because, well, it was I have been coach at the university for 23 years. I graduated from the university, and the state of California has a great deficit all throughout the state. The university athletic program was in deficit. And so my wife and I discussed it over, and I've been teaching for 43 years, and it was the best way to go back and help the university which had done so much for me.

WHITFIELD: So here you were a coach for 23 years, where you pulled nearly a six-figure salary, and enjoying this life as a coach and being very much loved as a coach. The department then came to you and said we have to make some serious cutbacks, and your program is going to be one of them. So you instead said, you know what, I am going to give something so my athletes can continue doing their thing. What has this -- what kind of reception has this brought to you from other instructors on campus?

FRALEY: Well, mainly congratulations. We realize what you are doing is important. They are educators, I'm an educator. And you don't go into this thing for money, you go in to help students. And at a time in the history of our school, help was needed. And so we were able to step forward and say we could do this for the university.

WHITFIELD: And you know, or you made the sacrifice, it seems, because you know that there are so many of your athletes who can gain from this experience and it helps pave the way for your futures. What would it have meant if many of these athletes would have been without this track program as they know it?

FRALEY: Well, the thing is, Fresno State is one of the leading of the 23 -- it's a leading university of the 23 in the California state university system. We are really the model program. And forced to drop the track and field program would break what we call a cycle, or a chain. And so we are in a large population base here in the San Joaquin Valley, the population is growing, the high schools have very good track and field programs. And so we need to be the model. And we're the ones that need to provide this type of activity and teach these young people that are coming into our university how to be teachers and coaches, and you don't want to break that chain. Once you break the chain, that support may not be around ever again. Do you see what I mean?

WHITFIELD: Yes, and coach, not only is the program a model, but you have become a model, so to speak, as being very unselfish in making this very huge sacrifice. And it is, indeed a sacrifice, isn't it, is it the case that it's just that easy for you and your wife to live off no salary, or are you having to really kind of cut corners?

FRALEY: Well, we really don't know right now. Elaine and I are waiting exactly to see what the impact will be. We have always lived by faith, we have always been people who have said it's better to give than receive. That's something that we've always believed. And like I said, we are teachers, and the idea is to make an impact upon society, to provide for youth.

Today in our sports world, a lot of people look at it like this, what can this athlete, or what can this student athlete do for the university? And really the educational model that we should be following is what can we, at the university, do for the students. And that's why we're here. The educational model is the paradigm has shifted, and we should be concerned about what we can do for the university, and this is one thing that we can do for the university to keep that program going.

WHITFIELD: All right, and this is what you are doing for all of those athletes and for the university. Coach Bob Fraley of Fresno State, thanks very much for joining us. And good luck to you and the program.

FRALEY: Thank you very much for just saying how much you appreciate it. And it's going to give our program an opportunity to continue. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired June 28, 2003 - 14:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Sports and dollars signs. Here is an interesting juxtaposition. High school basketball player LeBron James signs a $90 million endorsement deal before playing even one professional game. So how is it that a Fresno State track coach for 23 years is working for nothing? Well, Bob Fraley actually gave up his salary so that his track and field program could survive. And he is Fresno, California, now to explain this act of benevolence. So Coach Fraley, why in the world did you do this?
BOB FRALEY, FRESNO STATE UNIVERSITY: Why did I do it?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FRALEY: Because, well, it was I have been coach at the university for 23 years. I graduated from the university, and the state of California has a great deficit all throughout the state. The university athletic program was in deficit. And so my wife and I discussed it over, and I've been teaching for 43 years, and it was the best way to go back and help the university which had done so much for me.

WHITFIELD: So here you were a coach for 23 years, where you pulled nearly a six-figure salary, and enjoying this life as a coach and being very much loved as a coach. The department then came to you and said we have to make some serious cutbacks, and your program is going to be one of them. So you instead said, you know what, I am going to give something so my athletes can continue doing their thing. What has this -- what kind of reception has this brought to you from other instructors on campus?

FRALEY: Well, mainly congratulations. We realize what you are doing is important. They are educators, I'm an educator. And you don't go into this thing for money, you go in to help students. And at a time in the history of our school, help was needed. And so we were able to step forward and say we could do this for the university.

WHITFIELD: And you know, or you made the sacrifice, it seems, because you know that there are so many of your athletes who can gain from this experience and it helps pave the way for your futures. What would it have meant if many of these athletes would have been without this track program as they know it?

FRALEY: Well, the thing is, Fresno State is one of the leading of the 23 -- it's a leading university of the 23 in the California state university system. We are really the model program. And forced to drop the track and field program would break what we call a cycle, or a chain. And so we are in a large population base here in the San Joaquin Valley, the population is growing, the high schools have very good track and field programs. And so we need to be the model. And we're the ones that need to provide this type of activity and teach these young people that are coming into our university how to be teachers and coaches, and you don't want to break that chain. Once you break the chain, that support may not be around ever again. Do you see what I mean?

WHITFIELD: Yes, and coach, not only is the program a model, but you have become a model, so to speak, as being very unselfish in making this very huge sacrifice. And it is, indeed a sacrifice, isn't it, is it the case that it's just that easy for you and your wife to live off no salary, or are you having to really kind of cut corners?

FRALEY: Well, we really don't know right now. Elaine and I are waiting exactly to see what the impact will be. We have always lived by faith, we have always been people who have said it's better to give than receive. That's something that we've always believed. And like I said, we are teachers, and the idea is to make an impact upon society, to provide for youth.

Today in our sports world, a lot of people look at it like this, what can this athlete, or what can this student athlete do for the university? And really the educational model that we should be following is what can we, at the university, do for the students. And that's why we're here. The educational model is the paradigm has shifted, and we should be concerned about what we can do for the university, and this is one thing that we can do for the university to keep that program going.

WHITFIELD: All right, and this is what you are doing for all of those athletes and for the university. Coach Bob Fraley of Fresno State, thanks very much for joining us. And good luck to you and the program.

FRALEY: Thank you very much for just saying how much you appreciate it. And it's going to give our program an opportunity to continue. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com